Commercial seed industry research on plants results in genetic improvements in seed. A number of different processes can result in improved seeds, haploid/double haploid systems, traditional or genotype assisted breeding, mutation, transformation, etc. The improved seed when genetically stable is increased so that there is a large quantity of the improved seed for sale to growers. In the process of increasing lines or finding and developing stable lines the seed is planted and harvested and seed is selected over several seasons. Until the plant has a fixed and stable inheritable desired improvement, not all seeds express the improvement. In the breeding process seeds without the improvement from the population are removed prior to planting the next generation of seed. A statistical samplings which are tested for determining if the improvement is in the seed is used when bulking the seed population. The results of the test determine if there is seed that should be removed because they lack the improvement. This process lacks efficiency because it often results in loss of some desired seed and some maintenance of some undesired seed.
To overcome the deficiencies of statistical sampling, the seed industry has developed systems and methods of nondestructively sampling material from seeds for testing. Principally, the goal of these methods is to remove a portion of a seed, the ‘seed chip’ which is used for testing. The ‘seed chip’ or seed sample, often has extracted DNA analyzed for the desired seed characteristics. Depending on the seed sample test results, the correlated viable seed is used for planting or discarded.
Efficiencies in producing the seed chips and viable chipped seeds have been the focus of the development of mechanical devices for automating the process. Two types of automated seed “chipping” devices have been developed. Each have a device for removing material from a seed, one uses a brocade and the other uses a laser. These devices have a seed conveyer for conveying the seed to a compartment in a seed tray; and a sample conveyor for conveying the material removed from the seed to a corresponding compartment in a sample tray. The sample seed is used for DNA extraction which is tested. The viable seed is stored. And each process correlates the seed chips with the viable seed from which it was chipped. The chip is used for testing and the seed is discarded, stored or used for planting.
In operation these sample tray and seed tray locations have to be associated so that when the seed samples are tested, the test results can be employed to select or sort the seeds. These devices are set up to test large quantities of seed which results in two sets of tray storage, two sets of tray documentation, and two sets of locations that must be coordinated so that the association between the two sets sample seed and viable untested seed is maintained.
The prior art methods and devices for the automated system require two essential seed parts, the viable seed for planting and the seed sample, in other words, the chip for testing. The chip provided the seed DNA for testing. Although these different automated systems have different means for positioning seeds for cutting, for cutting the seed chip from the seed, for transporting seed and chip, etc., both of these systems are burdensome and complex. These seed chipping systems require a constant correlation to be kept between the two essential seed parts. The existing automated systems require a tray of seed material and a tray of the seed chips.
These systems require the use of two seed parts, each which are stored and handled separately but with a known association. This process requires that the corresponding chip and seed are correctly matched so that the test results for the chip will result in the removal of the correct undesired seed material. The present invention addresses the complexity of needing two essential seed parts and the need to track both the seed tray and the chip tray which cause a number of the existing complexities of the prior inventions.